Upholding the faith

The French government will be proposing a bill to parliament banning Islamic head scarves, the Jewish skullcap and large Christian crosses in government schools. President Jacques Chirac urged parliament to pass the law before the next scholastic year starts in September 2004.

This proposed law, besides being a violation of fundamental human rights, is based on misunderstanding of Islamic teachings. The headscarf for women is not a religious symbol but is a religious obligation. It is a submission to the Divine Qur'anic Law. In the Holy Qur'an we find two main references to the woman's dress.

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons" (59:33).

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty, that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear, that they should draw their veils over their bosoms" (31:24).

Any Muslim who denies this Islamic law places himself out of Islam. Any Muslim woman who does not adhere to this law is committing a sin.

So when any authority bans the headscarf at school, the authority is in fact pushing the Muslim students to act against their faith and fall in sin which, of course, they will not accept. This difficult situation will lead to deprive girls of their education, which is a basic need and a human right.

Secularism, in its essence, is based on the respect of all religions and the guarantee of fundamental freedoms. The proposed law is a violation of the values of secularism itself. The Islamic headscarf is not imposed by parents but enjoined by God. The Muslim woman wears it to please God only.

The headscarf has nothing to do with politics, fanaticism or extremism. It is a certain kind of dress aiming at securing the dignity and modesty of the woman, preventing temptation and maintaining the morality of the society. It is unreasonable that the decision-makers permit nudity and odd sexual practices in the name of personal liberty while banning the headscarf; a manifestation of chastity, which is also an expression of personal liberty. It seems that when the matter concerns Islam and Muslims, democracy and human rights are suspended and are not applicable anymore!

The headscarf does not in any way affect negatively the teaching process and does not affect the integration of Muslims in the French society. Integration does not mean abandoning one's own culture and dissolution in the other's cultures but it means peaceful coexistence, social and cultural mixture, cooperation and involvement in common affairs among the followers of different faiths. Integration is a mutual effort from both sides to tolerate and accept each other's beliefs and practices. Therefore, it should not be considered an obligation solely for the minority community to adhere to.

Such unfortunate initiatives like banning the scarves will lead to deepen hatred and divisions in societies and endanger the sincere efforts for integration. Wearing the headscarves will not harm France in any way but banning it will offend the religious sentiments of over one billion followers of Islam.

Muslims all over the world are concerned and appeal to President Chirac to review the matter considering the position of many French forces which do not agree with the banning, like some French churches. Numerous prominent international personalities expressed their disagreement with the proposed French law. In this regard, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation particularly to President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and the leader of the Anglican Church in England.

France enjoys excellent relations and good reputation in the Muslim world. Muslims expect more positive attitudes from France to safeguard and strengthen the existing Muslim-French friendship and cooperation.